The Change in the Heart
by 26Rye J
Summary: During the investigation of remains found beneath a prison, an old friend comes for a visit bringing out a new side of Bones which confuses her coworkers.
1. Chapter 1: Interloper

**For those waiting on the Sequel for IHLYW, it has a beginning, an ending, and a middle but with a few holes here and there. As soon as this is posted, the first chapter of HMYRW will go up. **

**Without further delay, here is my first and most likely only Bones fic. **

Chapter 1: Interloper

Bones stood over the remains while Clark and Cam looked on."I estimated his age to be about 35 his height about 5"8."

Not having gone to the crime scene, Cam observed from the smell, "He was obviously submerged in something foul before being brought here."

Picking up on the same scent, Clark looked over some papers, "Says in the file he was found in a sewer."

"That is correct. Booth and I investigated the space this morning." Bones put on her gloves.

Forgetting his position, Clark frowned, "Then why are we only seeing this now?"

"Some prefer to bath thoroughly after entering environments high in feces content."

Pushing off from the side railing, Booth approached meeting her gaze. "Not some, Bones, all. Don't even try and tell me you didn't appreciate the shower."

"You're implying you were following a rule to which I am a rare exception."

Hodgins snaked the file from Clark, "How about reading for content? He was found in the sewers of Cumberland prison."

Cam chirped, "A shawshank?"

"We'd need an ID first."

Bones looked at Cam. "I have heard of the Shawness but not the Shawshanks. You have reason to believe he was a member of this tribe?"

"That's it. You and I are starting a must see list."

Seeing Booth frown, Clark intervened, "Dr. Saroyan was referring to a late 20th century film in which the protagonist escapes a prison by tunneling into the sewers."

With raised brows, Cam commented, "I'm impressed."

"Film history was a course included in my college's general requirements. I did not see it but I learned the premises well enough to answer any possible questions the professor might put on an exam.

"Okay, I'm less impressed"

"Well, I can't discern if he was incarcerated in the prison above his sewer until I discern ID."

Booth smirked at Bone's explanation. "So there are limits to your super powers."

"Even the most intelligent humans cannot disrupt the flow of logic. Evidence must be compiled before conclusions can be drawn"

"Where's the fun in that?" Those on the platform turned towards the new voice, but Brennan continued looking at the remains, "In some cases, 'fun' is not the primary consideration."

The towering African-American stranger stepped just outside the platform's card reader. "Now I know your just messing with me."

"Aside from my work here, it's what I excel at."

"Girl, you excel at everything."

"True, very true"

"Bones, you know this guy?"

Bones nodded as she moved to swipe him onto the platform. "Booth this is Caleb Trevelian. Cal this is Agent Booth."

As they walked back to the remains he gave her a half hug of greeting. "The partner."

Booth scowled. "In and outside of work"

"Alphaway alemay ypetay"

Bones smirked. "Ebay icenay."

Hodgins gave the two a dirty look which Cam noticed but couldn't understand.

"First Dr. Edison with the movie knowledge then you with the Pig Latin."

Booth wasn't so amused. "I raised a kid guys - can't you switch to an actual language?"

"Knew I should have paid more attention in Spanish class."

Bones turned to give him a full hug. "Do you have a gig here or is this just a lay over?"

"Gig?"

Cal answered the agent's inquiry. "I play sax, but this is more of a reunion. A few buds of mine been talkin bout getting together for a while now. Figured I'd come up, play some, hang some, and drop in on my favorite scientist."

"I'm just finishing up here, so if you don't have plans tonight you should come over for dinner."

"Sounds good to me, but before I head back, I'm taking you out - you and Booth. What do you say?"

She hedged. "We would love to eat somewhere with you."

Hearing her tone, he warned, "Tempe."

She didn't even pretend to misunderstand. "The issue of who pays for the meal will work itself out."

"Game on." Waving to the remains, he let pulled away. "Well, I will just rearrange things in your office while you work."

"Alright."

Booth noticed her watching him walk away.

"Old friend?"

Her faint smile grew concerned. "Should I have consulted with you before inviting him to dinner?"

"It's fine Bones."

Convinced, she directed her attention back to the case. " I need to get this skull to Angel for facial reconstruction."

Hoping to wheedle more information about the 'old friend,' Booth followed her to Angela's office.

She heard them enter and smiled at the site of an extremely pregnant Brennan.

"How are you feeling today?"

"Quite well thank you." She quickly changed the subject of conversation. "Caleb is here. You remember Cal right?"

Angela's expression dropped for a second before she responded cheerily, "Of course I do. He filled the lab with music for an entire afternoon - pretty memorable guy. Is he staying long or just a quick visit?"

"He didn't specify, but I have hope. He's in my office now and coming over to dinner tonight."

"Let me take this off your hands so you can squeeze in some more visit time."

Regretfully, She replied, "I still have to finish my examination of the rest of the skeleton."

"Which will take a few minutes and then Clark can finish whatever you need."

Bren looked pleased by her logic. "I think I will take your advice."

She left with a backward glance and Angela's smile which looked forced to begin with fell away entirely. "Now she listens to me."

Booth picked up on the tension. "So you've met Bones' Jazz bud before."

"On his last visit 6 years ago."

"She never mentioned him before."

She scoffed, "Come on Booth, when does Bren ever offer up personal details? "

He nodded grudgingly. "They seem close."

"Understatement."

That seemed to confirm his suspicions. "So they were involved."

"Worse." She frowned. "They're bestest friends."

He felt the beginning of a grin. "So I have no need for jealousy since you got it covered."

She snapped, "Mock my pain and I'll mock yours." Amending her tone, she sighed, "Things will just be a lot smoother once his visit ends."

"There something I should know about?"

" You will. My advice, though, is to stay clear."

Understanding now wasn't the time to push, he sympathized, "It was nice of you to encourage their visit."

"I didn't do it to be nice." Her comments worried him, but she continued adamantly, "I'm telling you Booth, this is a proceed-with-caution kind of situation."

"Take it easy Ange. I'm sure he won't be here for long." He paused in the doorway to offer comfort.

"Soon enough, she'll be all yours again."

Seeing him walk out, she mumbled, "If she ever was."


	2. Chapter 2: Temper

Chapter 2: Temper

Brennan approached the platform to resume her analysis of the remains.

She nodded towards Dr. Edison, "Do you see the abrasions here. They seem to be obfuscating fractures along the lumbar vertebrae. I need you to clean them carefully so we can discern damage to the bones post-mortem from possible cause of death."

"Yes Dr. Brennan." He shuffled awkwardly for a moment before blurting, "I apologize if my tone earlier when inquiring about the arrival of the remains was demanding."

"Under different circumstances I would reproach such presumption, but in this case, we should have accompanied and started work on the remains earlier in the day. It was right to inquire about the anomaly although I do agree your tone carried an air of authority ill-suited to your position. Amend it while retaining observation of detail and consider the matter resolved."

He looked relieved while the observers looked a bit bewildered.

As Clark went about his work, Cam approached the benevolent Brennan. "And the presence of an old friend is in no way tempering your natural reaction to reproach?"

"You are inquiring if Mr. Trevelian's presence has put me in a good mood."

Cam didn't anticipate her response. "I didn't think you'd get it , but yeah."

"Indeed, I am in an excellent mood and expect to be for the duration of his visit.

She looked on bemused as Brennan walked to her office wearing a warm smile.

She tried to sound casual. "It's good to see Dr. Brennan reconnecting with an old friend."

Hodgins' scoff drew a confused frown from her.

"Is there a problem?"

"The last time she reconnected with this friend it was anything but good." He set down his looking glass recalling the episode. "Angela and Dr. B weren't on speaking terms by the end of his visit. Even Zach couldn't wait till Cal left."

She looked in the pair's direction "Is he really that horrible?"

"No, but him and Dr. B together kind of are."

Through the glass windows they could see Caleb ruffling her hair.

Inside Bren's office, Cal chuckled, "Look at you: all domesticated with a bun on the way. What happened to the world being over populated and monogamous relationships being unnatural?"

She patted down her hair calmly. "I think that's the first time you've pronounced that word correctly."

He plopped down on the couch with a sincere expression. "If this is what makes you happy, I'm all for it."

"I didn't think it would be. In fact, I was certain a life like this would stifle me."

"But you don't feel stifled," he ventured.

"I found someone to be my family now - to be a family with." She sat beside him. "How about you? Any big changes you should inform me of?"

"Still single, still playing. I found my moms a couple years ago. "

"I thought you didn't want to meet her. You said it would be cruel to both of you to revisit old pains."

"You discovering your family kinda shamed me into dealing with mine. I got my adoption records and looked her up."

"Was she well?"

He took a second to consider his words. "She was a mom. It wasn't just the step-siblings. She was momish. I didn't expect that."

In Bones fashion, she explained, "Time affects people differently. Even the most autonomous can find in themselves a desire to nurture."

He nodded. "I asked some questions I've had for a long time, and she asked some of hers. We're not going to become family, but I'm glad I met her." He took her hand in his. "Thank you."

Her thumb began drawing soft circles. "You took that chance all on your own. I wish you would have told me, but this is all yours."

Looking down, he smiled at their physical connection. "You weren't there holding my hand, but you facing your crap past was all the pep talk I needed to knock on that door."

A voice called from the doorway. "You guys ready to go?"

Seeing Booth, she stood and pulled Cal along with her. "I can be done for the day. I set Dr. Edison up cleaning the bones for improved visibility of micro-fractures. It will assist in narrowing down the possibilities as to the exact cause of death."

He confirmed, "It'll get us a weapon."

Cal smiled at her demeanor, "I love your in-control mode."

"That's pretty much Bones for you." Booth came to her side and guided her by the small of her back.

Cal looked amused by the gesture, "You might want to introduce Bones to Tempe sometime. Seems like they could learn from each other."

Peering back, Booth showed the beginning signs of enthusiasm. "You got stories?"

She gasped, "He absolutely does not."

Cal just shook his head amiably. "While I might regret some of the agreements this one has got me into, I don't back out on them." Booths disappointment was palpable. "Sorry man. The only tales at tonight's table will be what lil' Temper has been up to these past couple years."

Brennan led them out the door, as a confused Booth mouthed to himself, "Temper"?


	3. Chapter 3: Missing You

**Thank you for taking the time to write reviews. For those of you concerned about the story continuing, fret not. This story has an ending, so it will definitely be "complete" soon - but not too soon. Slowly but surely, the posts will come.**

**If enough people want more sooner, though, I may post a few chapters early; otherwise, weekly posts are my norm. **

Chapter 3: Missing You

Bones unlocked the door while Booth held their takeout. As soon as the door clicked, Caleb carefully hastened inside before them.

Booth shifted the bags to make sure he didn't drop anything. "What's he doing?"

"Checking out my music collection."

Closing the door behind them he called out. "They're not going anywhere. Trust me on this."

"He just wants to make sure I'm not hiding anything."

Caleb matched her serious tone. "If I don't get here first, she'll be stuffing throat singers under couch cushions."

"Cal, that was once, and I still maintain its location was not by design. It slipped."

Both men scoffed.

"Keep in mind, Booth's CDs are included as well."

Booth interjected, "I have good taste."

"No doubt man. I just gotta make sure she's not falling off the wagon. As her music sponsor, it's my job to make sure she's ain't slumming."

"Music sponsor?"

"Self-designated."

"Of course."

He continued flipping through her cases and opening random ones to check for subterfuge. Brennan who usually hated anyone interfering with her organization, observed this good naturedly, "He still refuses to give me a CD of what he's working on.

"It's better live Tempe. You know that."

Booth plopped the take out on the table already wearied. "I'll grab the plates."

"So when are you and your friends getting together to play?

"We'll probably be playing all weekend. Meet up Friday and play till Monday morn silences our soul."

Returning with flatware, Booth rolled his eyes at the comment.

Bren's eyes brightened. "You can stay with us."

Neither occupants noticed Booth's discomfort at the suggestion as he set out the food.

"Nah, I'm crashin' with my favor-oweing buds. No use doing stuff for them if I can't hit em' up for a place to stay once in a while. No worries though; when the music ends I can stick around."

"You better. I could have another child by the time you visit again."

Relieved at not having to lodge their guest, Booth looked for a change of topic. "So Caleb, does music pay your way, or do you have a day job?"

Cal grabbed a carton of chow mien and savored the aroma. "I'm supported by those patron artists. You know, a kept man of the musically inclined." Booth failed to hide his look of appall.

"Booth, he's joking."

"I'm smooth jazz on the weekends, and high school music man the other five days."

Bones beamed proudly, "Caleb attended the Conservatory of Music at Oberlin College."

"That's good, right?"

"Any high school would be extremely fortunate to have him on staff."

Cal shrugged. "It feels good helping slackers like me find what they're passionate about. I get to be their Tempe."

Booth surmised, "She got you into music?"

She corrected, "No, he always loved music. I just compelled him to do his homework."

"And fill out college apps. Heck all through school you were my academic cheerleader."

Booth snickered at the mental pictures. "Bones a cheerleader."

With eyes full of mischief, he turned to Bones, "You still have the outfit?"

"Of course."

Booth reigned in his shock. "You are joking again."

They nodded and laughed. "She was in Illinois and I was in Ohio, but your girl would made that drive every semester around finals to keep me in line."

"I'd kick his roommate out and lock us in his dorm room until we both were completely prepared for our exams."

"That's a fact. She had takeout delivered so we'd have absolutely no excuse to procrastinate." He waggled his brows. "Sure all the guys on the floor thought we were . . ."

Booth snarked, "Well a guy and a girl in a dorm room for what? days at a time, I'd think it too."

As usual, Bones remained unaffected. "That was until they saw your grades."

"Then they were begging her to do the same for them."

"You did your share of driving as I recall."

"Someone needed to make sure you were checking out Chicago's music scene."

"Enough nostalgia. Our best times are still ahead of us, correct?"

Cal nodded. "Though it was pretty awesome."

"But since then, we've had jobs and traveled.

"And check you out. You're having a family."

Bones grabbed one of the beers Booth had brought for them. Her tone became thoughtful. "I think I'm ready to be a mom."

Booth chimed in. "Of course you are."

Holding up a bottle, Cal toasted, "Cheers to the lucky kid."

They clinked glasses and resumed their meal.

* * *

><p>Because Booth and Bones had work the next day, Cal didn't linger long after the meal. As they cleaned plates and put away food containers, Booth took the opportunity to debrief.<p>

"How come you've never mentioned him?"

Her reply was simple: "It never came up."

"When did you guys meet anyway?"

"After my parents left, I started spending more time at school -getting their early and staying late. Caleb was the same way."

That didn't track. "He wasn't at the reunion."

Remembering conversations old and far away, she replied, "Cal hated high school. There's nothing I could say which would get him to go back. If it wasn't for the case I wouldn't have either."

He recalled her melancholy when discussing high school interactions. "It's good to know you had a friend back then - you know, besides the creepy janitor."

After closing the fridge she leaned against it and smiled. "Mr. Buxley liked Cal. He'd unlock the music room for him early in the morning like he did for me. I remember working in the science lab and hearing his sax echo down the halls." She mused, "He's never where you expect him to be but somehow always there when you need him."

"You feeling poetic Bones?"

She continued ad if she hadn't heard him, "Like now, right before the baby's here, he's in for a visit. Even if we'd planned, it couldn't be a better time."

Considering they'd been particularly close for several years, Booth wondered how he'd never met Cal before. "How long since you saw him last?"

Oblivious to his concerns, she replied vaguely, "Too long. You don't know how much you miss a person until you see them again. I think I missed him a great deal."

Seeing her pleased after dinner with an old friend bothered him. He wished it didn't, but it did. Before that day, he thought he knew everything about his Bones. Her far away smile proved he didn't.


	4. Chapter 4: Restricted Observations

Chapter 4: Restricted Observations

The ride to the Jeffersonian the next morning passed in silence. As they neared it though, Booth inquired, "Cal dropping in today?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if he spends the whole day sleeping. He perceives his mental processes reach peak productivity at night."

"He's a night owl."

"I don't know what that means."

Her predictable response comforted him. "It means he likes to stay up late."

Silence reigned for a few moments until Bones changed topics. "Are you going to look through the prison records for possible escapees?"

"Among other things."

"If you stop in later, we will have more information to narrow the search."

"We can do the squint talk after lunch."

The car stopped and Bones prepared to get out. "You should get a list of guards on duty when any of the prisoners were missing or unaccounted for."

Considering the conversation finished, he huffed, "This is my job; I've got it taken care of."

Her wide eyes betrayed her surprise. "Of course."

She exited the car in silence, and he felt immediate remorse. He spoke again in a gentler tone, "Bones, take care alright."

She nodded but didn't reply. She just walked away in silence.

Booth's recent tense demeanor confused her. Their casework was proceeding in a timely fashion and their personal lives had not undergone any shift she was aware of. Neither of them had been placed in danger lately or experienced medical emergencies. His stressed responses didn't make sense.

It was quite possible she didn't have all the relevant data. It could be that his boss or fellow agents were causing his distress in which case troubling herself about it now would not lead to accurate conclusions. In order to give her work the attention it deserved, she committed to putting thoughts of Booth out of her mind. She would work on the perpetual puzzle which was her partner at some later time. Whatever it was, he would talk to her when he was ready.

With that mind set, she went about her work satisfied all morning. She could have continued that way into the afternoon if her phone hadn't rung.

Slightly irked at the interruption, she answered it. "Dr. Brennan."

"My friends and I are thinkin about breakfast."

Recognizing the voice instantly, she replied, "It's almost noon."

"Unlike the scientists of the world, we associate meals with sleep schedules instead of times. Breakfast is when you wake, dinner when you sleep, and lunch anywhere in-between."

She smiled at Cal's logical explanation. "So it's breakfast time for you."

"It would really start my day right if you joined us. I need a face to go with all the jokes I've been telling at your expense."

"Do I know any of these fellows?"

Feigning a lack of interest, Cam and Hodgins listened to her half of the conversation.

"Maybe, but they ain't all fellas. Now come on, pregnant folk gotta eat, or so I've heard."

"Not much more than barren folk."

"When you visited me, you pulled me out of every gig in town. It's about time I returned the favor."

"I can't argue with you."

Unable to stop himself from eavesdropping, Clark raised his eyebrows at that.

"Never could, so come on 'Bones' we'll pick you up in a few."

Through her amusement she tried to sound stern. "Don't mock."

"The whole car is giggling, but if I gotta, I will say it again."

"I'm going to pour liquid nitrogen down your pants."

All eyes widened at her playful threat.

"You'll have to leave the lab to do that 'Bones.'"

"Then you best tell your buddies to drive faster." She hung up with a giggle completely oblivious to her audience.

Afraid to sound judgmental, no one asked about the phone call; however, they all kept an eye on the door. Soon enough, it slid open.

Seeing Dr. Brennan shuffle uncomfortably near the remains, Clark pleaded, "Are you sure I can't bring you a chair?"

"As I've told you before, the standing position is most effective for examination. I would appreciate if you restrict your observations to our work rather than the workers."

As Clark sighed another voice echoed through the lab, "You may be mother Temperance, but you're still pain in the butt, stubborn as hell Tempe."

"Pregnancy does not altar personality," she replied matter of factly.

Cal waited as she carefully stepped down from the platform. "How about the mood swings? You been feeling emotional lately? Do you need a hug?"

Her cool expression cracked with a smile, "Shut up."

Her reply shocked Cam and left Hodgins frowning.

"We're doing the big goodbye on the phone. No way am I dealing with a weepy Temper."

"If I was going to cry it would have been when you came not when you leave - that'll be cause for cheering."

"You wound my soul."

She pushed him playfully. "Like you have one."

"Lucky for me, you don't believe in them."

"The soulless two, huh?

He nodded and then looked around the room. "When do you need to be back by anyway? because some of the guys are playing in the park later."

She saw his brown eyes widen with pleading but feigned indifference. He swung his hand in hers to increase his plea, but she just walked towards the offices without acknowledging the contact. Seeing Cam step out, she calmly reported, "Dr. Saroyan I'm leaving for lunch but plan to take the rest of the day off. Do you object?" Caleb kept a smile of glee from appearing choosing instead to squeezed her hand in approval.

She squeezed back but maintained a professional expression, Cam pretended not to notice the gesture.

"We are in the middle of a case."

"I have completed my examination of the remains. Mr. Edison is fully updated on our findings so far and can debrief Booth when he arrives. At this point my involvement in the case is no longer critical."

After a moment's pause she reluctantly replied, "It should be fine but keep your cell phone with you in case any problems arise."

Hearing the approval, Cal swung his arm over Bones' shoulder. "I'd figure you'd be happy to be rid of our girl. I mean most women are on maternity leave by now right?

She looked indignant. "I am still a productive and valuable employee."

"You could also give birth at any time. "

Disliking the implication that she was mistreating an employee, Cam cut in "Of course, Dr. Brennan is encouraged to lighten her work load given her condition; in her case, it's just rather unprecedented."

He squeezed her shoulder, "Come on Tempe let's set some precedent."

As they turned away smiling, Cam stopped them, "Do you have a message for Booth when he comes by?

Bones looked back with a bigger smile than Cam had ever seen her wear. "I'm safe as houses."

Cam didn't know what to think as they walked away. Before she could decide, Hodgins approached from behind. "Guess someone's been teaching her our American colloquialisms," he muttered.

She watched the laughing pair exit. "I guess so."

Not too long after they left, Booth entered the lab looking flustered.

"Bones! Ready to scram?"

When he made it to the platform, he noticed both Clark and Hodgins avoiding eye contact. Shrinking into the background, they waited for someone else to break the news.

"Bones?"

He didn't give the squints another thought as he strode over to her office. They peered over but quickly turned back when he came out Bonesless. Seeing Cam across the lab, he tried to flag her down.


	5. Chapter 5:Worse Ways

**I appreciate all the feedback. Whatever you're thinking about my writing, it's beneficial for me to know - especially the criticisms. All your reviews help me improve. **

**Because the last chapter left some readers unsatisfied, I'm posting the next chapter early. (Of course, there will still be a Sunday post this week).**

**I'm not giving any spoilers, but for those wondering why Dr. Brennan seems so out of character, I assure you, the way it's written and your reaction to it is all a part of this story's design. **

**When it's over you may disagree with the decision, but it wasn't an accident. **

**Here is Chapter 5 for your reading pleasure or consternation . . . whichever it is, I look forward to reading your thoughts.**

Chapter 5: Worse Ways

"Cam, have you seen Bones?"

She looked around helplessly hoping for a rescue that never came.

"Dr. Brennan went out to lunch with her friend. She wished to take the rest of the day off and seeing how she had fulfilled her main function with the scientific portion of the case, I saw no reason to object."

"She left?"

"I told her to keep her cell on so we could call if needed, but as far as I know she has left for the day." Taking advantage of his stunned state, she approached the platform. "Dr. Edison please update Agent Booth about our findings."

He looked warily between the two as he reported, "Dr. Hodgins estimates the time of death to be approximately five years ago."

Seeing Booth near the table of remains, he pointed out, "From the striations here, Dr. Brennan concluded a strong impact damaged his spine. It hit a flat surface hard and in reaction bent past its natural inclination."

Cam interpreted, "He fell and hurt his back."

Booth channeled his frustration at the intern. "That's not the cause of death though is it."

"Not in the strictest sense no."

He looked around for help and found Hodgins graciously approaching. "You should see Angela. She has a visual recreation in her office." Booth marched towards her office while Clark mouthed Hodgins a thank you.

"Hodgins says you know how our vic died."

Angela looked over to see a perturbed Booth darkening her doorway. Skipping the greeting, since he obviously had, she loaded up her computer. "Here's your guy and here's the scene."

He nodded at the recreation. "I remember the sewer scene."

"He fell but according to Bren, the fall had to be from less than fifteen feet to result in the observed spine damage and leave his skull in relatively good condition."

He shrugged. "So he hurt his back and got a bump on the head."

"The manhole you came down would fit the parameters."

Booth looked confused. "He fell trying to get into the sewers?"

"He didn't die where he was found."

As her computer started to display the sewer layout, Hodgins entered warily. "His body was most likely lodged somewhere along the sewer line but with our heavy rainfall this season, the body was carried from its original resting place further down the line to where the maintenance workers found it. "

She redirected the focus to the loaded images. "The prison grounds are large. Higher up the sewer system there is an access point within the walls."

"So our guy figures out the sewer layout and tries to slip out under prison walls." Hodgins smirked. " Major props."

Ever the helpful wife, Ange continued, "But in trying to climb down he slips and injures himself. He still your hero?"

Booth's expression cleared as he puzzled out the case. "If this was an escape attempt, he would be have been injured underneath the one place he was trying to avoid. He couldn't really move and he didn't want to shout for help."

Hodgins offered, "He probably died of starvation or dehydration."

"He died of hypothermia."

The group turned to the new voice. "Hey Mr. Edible."

Not much caring why an intern was lurking about, Booth carried on. "Why do you say that?"

Angela leered at Dr. Edison. "Have you seen him today?"

Booth scowled at her deliberate misunderstanding while Clark spoke as if it never happened.

"The sewers are full of various fluids. The temperatures of the water ranges from about 3 to 20 degrees Celsius."

For the lay man, Hodgins translated, "37 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit."

"Any time body temperature drops below 95 degrees Fahrenheit, hypothermia can set in."

Angela frowned. "That doesn't sound right."

Clark refused to be cowed. "I was on a swim team all through high school and while people can handle that range of temperatures outside, we cannot maintain body heat in water of that temperature."

She grimaced. "So he froze to death in a sewer. . . Prison can't be worse than that."

Hodgins reached for her hand. "That's high ranking on the ways I don't want to go."

Clark didn't understand their discomfort. "We've seen much more painful ways. We don't know if he was conscious when he fell, but even if he was, after a while the cold feeling would turn to a warm one and he would fall asleep as his body systems shut down."

From his personal reverie, Booth emerged . "Thanks Ange. With this picture, I can go through the missing prisoner list and ID him."

"What then?"

"I talk to guards, other prisoners and figure out if our guy had help falling down that hole. "

Hodgins looked back to the computer images. "If it was a fellow prisoner wouldn't he have helped him?"

"If he didn't want to be weighed down, then probably not."

"But that's not murder."

"It's only a crime if he was pushed and left."

Ange gasped, "You're not going to take Bren to a prison are you?"

"Bones left for the day. I'm taking Sweets."

"Where'd she go?"

"Clark, get me a report of all the science stuff - death approximation, height, weight." He looked at Angel completely ignoring her question. "Can you print this picture out for me?"

At her nod he turned to leave. Hodgins called out, "Let me know what the big house is like."

Without looking back he grumbled "Go play with your bugs."

Angela frowned, "So where exactly is Bren?"

Clark and Hodgins looked between each other before deciding that ignorance was their best option, so with shrug they turned leaving her deeply confused.

* * *

><p>"This has been a good day."<p>

Bones and Cal sat on a park bench near the musical gaggle happily munching deli sandwiches.

"Enjoy playing hookie do ya?"

"You are a terrible influence on the entire human race." As was her custom, she snuck a few chips from him. "It's just been a while since I've had a nonwork day."

"What have I told you about the purpose of weekends?

"I admit I don't have much of a life outside of corpses. Even when a case is over it's all we really talk about. Activities outside of work are limited to eating and sleeping."

He eyed her protruding stomach. "Obviously."

She grinned but continued seriously, "I'm satisfied with my life, but stepping outside it for a moment is enjoyable. "

"Everyone is more than their job."

"I know."

"You're going to have to get used to this. When mini Temper is out and about, you'll be doing a lot of non-work related activities."

She looked towards the park's playground thoughtfully. "I suppose having this child will be good for me."

"If it's what you want."

"I admit it wasn't planned. Booth and I weren't even in a relationship when we conceived. Well we were partners and friends, but we never dated until I became pregnant."

"If you did anything the regular way, it would surprise me."

"But this other aspect of life - an opportunity to take trips to the zoo and buy inaccurately illustrated children's books"

"-Sing inharmonious lullabies," he added cheekily.

"It will make my life complete. Booth and I haven't talked about it, but I think he feels the same way."

"He has a hankering for fatherhood?"

"He has a son but the mother has had full custody, so Booth didn't experience parenthood as others do."

To Cal, that observation made Booth's motivations slightly suspect. He didn't want to run his mouth where it wasn't wanted, but he didn't want to see his friend hurt either. Tentatively, he inquired, "If you hadn't gotten pregnant, do you think you two would be together?"

As he knew she would, Bones took some time to think about both the question and the answer. After a few more chips had been munched and drinks had been slurped, she concluded her mulling. "Probably not now, but eventually yes. He loved me before this. I know that. From this data point, I can extrapolate that given more time-"

"You would love him too."

"Eventually, I would trust my emotional responses to our interactions and attempt a relationship with him at a time when he would be open to one."

"I just wanted to make sure you're in a good spot."

They smiled then, but one of them continued to wonder.


	6. Chapter 6: Count On It

Chapter 6: Count On it.

As Angela printed out a picture of her facial reconstruction, Booth fisted his hands in his pocket and scowled.

"I think I hate him."

His pout-filled grumble made her smirk. "Another couple days and you'll be sure of it. I'm assuming you didn't mean sewer man."

"She's so different with him."

She nodded. "He gets to be inside the Great Wall of Bren." She leaned against the wall wearily. "When he first visited, I gave him a chance. He was important to Bren so I wanted to like him, but the inside jokes, the casual sharing. It was like everything I had to work and wheedle for, she just gave him for free."

He leaned against the next to her. "7 years. I've known her for over seven years, and we're still not like that."

"You got close to her so fast, but I accepted that because you guys were in love, but Caleb is not her Prince, so what's the reason there? Why does she treat him like a sibling and me like the pestering cousin?"

He sighed helplessly. "All this time I've been thinking she was without a family, but there isn't a family member of mine I'm that close with. I know everyone says they weren't together, but seriously, everything they do is so-"

"Intimate."

Unsure whether he should share this detail, he paused before confessing. "She hugged him last night. Out of the blue just because she felt like it."

"I'm sorry Booth."

"We're about to have a kid together and I realize now she still keeps me at a distance. What's worse is she doesn't even realize it. She acts all friendly with him and professional with me and doesn't show a bit of shame about it. The difference is right there."

She elaborated. "With him she's just a person: open, easy-going, normal."

"And with everyone else she's Dr. Brennan: the all-hard science lady." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "We definitely need to have a conversation about this, but I don't know what to say."

She sighed. "This is one of those times talking about it won't help."

"Didn't go so well for you?"

"I mind as well have been trying to convince her of ghosts. When I told her what was bothering me, she looked at me like I was crazy which only made me crazier. Bren and I never fight, but I was so frustrated that she couldn't see what was happening that I yelled. She yelled back. It was weeks before we talked again."

He looked over with both sympathy and understanding. "Which is why you played at supportive friend when you heard he was here."

"She's willing to put the past out of her mind if I am. I'm just gonna pretend it isn't happening and let the whole thing blow over."

Angela gazed out her office door into the lab almost as if she could see it playing out before her.

"I don't think I can do that."

She turned to him. "May you have better luck than I did."

He took the photo from her hands and turned to go. Pausing in the doorway, he murmured, "Thanks."

Cam watched as Booth stalked out the of the lab looking very dejected.

"I could restrict his access to the lab."

The intern frowned at the seeming non sequitor, "Mr. Trevelian?"

Knowing exactly what caused the topic shift, Hodgins responded sensibly, "He would just call her."

"I could make a rule; no non-work phone calls during a case."

Clark caught on soon enough and added "She might then take vacation time for his whole visit."

Hodgins nodded. "Unless you want to alienate one of the Jeffersonian's most valuable employees, you should leave it alone."

"Dr. Brennan giggled."

"On his last visit, he brought her in on piggy back."

Clark's expression fluxed between disbelief and bewilderment. "That is very disturbing."

"She even put her hands over his eyes so he ran into things."

"I do not want to see that. Can I take vacation time?"

Cam took a moment to ponder. "I'm going to go and see how many meetings I can schedule back to back so I don't have to be here."

Clark and Hodgins looked on with mild concern. "Was that a yes?"

Hodgins slapped his back and walked away. The day wasn't half over and he already felt it had been too long.

Dr. Sweets and Booth drove to Cumberland in awkward silence.

Warily, Sweets ventured, "This could become a habit you know: lying to Dr. Brennan about your whereabouts."

"I did not lie to Bones."

Sweets responded to his gruff assertion with skepticism. "So she knew you were going to interview suspects at a prison: an environment rife with anthropological data and decided today of all days to give into your overprotective tendencies."

"If I was truly overprotective I would have taken the rest of the day off when I heard she had."

Booth's observation confused him further . "Why didn't you? I assume nothing compromised her health."

"Now you sound like Bones. No, she's not sick. She just had something else."

" Mr. Trevelian," he supplied.

Bones glanced away from the road quizzically. How did the kid even know about him?

"If people want things kept to themselves they shouldn't present them in the lab. I have sources."

"Angela?"

"Saroyan. She gathered that the recent visitor is a very close friend of Dr. Brennan."

He grumbled, "A close, unknown friend."

"It's natural to feel out of place when someone you know engages in a different dynamic. You're seeing a heretofore undemonstrated aspects of her."

Booth tried to sound gruff but his tone turned petulant. "She jokes with him - not the awkward Bones way either - genuine, casual joking."

"They have a history."

"_We_ have a history."

Booth was increasingly bothered by the fact that Sweets wasn't bothered by the situation.

"You and Dr. Brennan met through your work. It's how you relate to one another and the foundation of your relationship. I assume they met outside of work."

He reluctantly agreed, "Before she even knew what she wanted to do."

"They have a relationship entirely separate from their working world and professional personas." Sweets looked smug in his analysis. "I'm not surprised their interactions are informal and more free than what she experiences with her colleagues."

Booth frowned. "I'm a hell of a lot more than her colleague."

Sweets didn't have a quick reply to that one, so he remained silent. The strength of emotion seeping out Booth encouraged him to stay that way.


	7. Chapter 7: Unflappable

**Your comments have been highly intriguing. Each of you are picking out different ideas from interracial relationships, loyalty, jealousy, true friendship to what is or isn't in character and each of you are coming from a different perspective. If you haven't read the reviews to this story, I would encourage you check them out. I know I've enjoyed reading all of your responses.**

Chapter 7: Unflappable

Sweets stood by warily, as Booth ceased his stride with a flash of his badge. "I'm special agent Booth and this Dr. Sweets from the FBI. We're here about the body found beneath this facility. "

The warden scrutinized the pair. "He's not one of ours. Everyone here is a counted for. It was the first thing we checked when we heard."

Hearing the defensive tone, Booth continued, "The evidence shows it was there for at least five years. We've run this picture through our system and he's not there. We need to speak to any guards who worked during that time. "

"If it's not a prisoner what do you need to talk to the guards for?"

To keep his partner from creating conflict, Sweets chimed in, "Perhaps there was someone memorable who visited or worked here. "

"New or old, we just need a place to start to figure out why you had a dead body in the pipes."

He bristled at the phrasing. "This way."

He took them from his office to what appeared to be a break room. After the warden announced FBI, Booth moved to the center of the room with his picture. "Any of you recognize this man?"

"That the sewer rat?"

Sweets regarded the seated guard with shock. "He may have been a lawyer, a janitor,"

Booth cut in, "-Maintenance, bookkeeper, but he had some connection to this place. Do. You. Recognize. Him?"

Looking for tells, Booth walked to each guard one by one putting the picture in his line of sight. The answers were all variations of the basic: "Five years is a long time. I can't help you;" "He doesn't look familiar; " "I never saw him."

Finding no signs of deceit amidst them, Sweets sighed. "Thank you for your time. We're going to ask others here if they saw him, but if you remember anything, here's my card." He tacked it to the cork board in the room and began to exit with an equally defeated Booth.

"He didn't work here."

The two turned to the originally snarky guard who was still lounging casually not bothering to give them eye contact.

Booth approached him slowly surmising, "Because you know everyone here."

"Because we don't hire scum - just hold em'."

Sweets felt the beginnings of hope take root. "You remember him."

"Don't know his name. I never asked, but our very own Mr. Evans does. He got a visit from this criminal way too often."

"What kind of criminal?"

"How should I know? But only a criminal would visit one that often who wasn't blood."

Sweets almost smiled with glee at their success. "Mr. Evans you said?"

* * *

><p>Kyle Evans had mixed blood to the extent he didn't really fit with any crowd. He wasn't really Mexican but he wasn't fully Asian either, and even though his Grandfather was black, Kyle couldn't pass for it. The result was he lacked any tattoos or verbal habits which identified him with any group. He was just Kyle.<p>

From different clues, both investigators picked up on this as he looked over the picture carefully.

"That's Craig Grimmet. He lived in Jersey."

In case the victim was a loved one, Sweets aimed for a sympathetic tone. "What is he to you?"

He frowned like he didn't understand the question. "Nothing anymore."

"Were you rivals, business partners -"

" Business partners? Ha." At their impatience, he held up a consolatory hand. "Last I heard he was a garbage man and doing fine for himself, but don't go making him something he wasn't."

Booth was not pacified. "That's why we're here. We don't know what he was or why he visited you."

"Friends."

Sweets prodded, "You were friends?"

"Yeah."

Booth redirected. "When was the last time you saw Grimmet?"

He took a long pause to think it over. "I don't know. A few years probably."

"Could you be more specific?"

He shook his head. "There's no point asking me about him. I don't know what he's up to now.

"Do you know why he'd be in the sewers of this prison?"

He scowled at Sweet's question. "I already told you we're not tight."

Booth shot back. "How about five years ago? Were you tight then?"

"Hard to remember."

"How about you try because five years ago your friend went on sewer walk and never came out, but the evidence is showing he was trying to get in here. You got any idea on what he'd wanna do that for?"

He looked him in the eye. "He didn't think I should be in here."

"Guess you do remember something."

Sweets rephrased Booth's snark. "He believed in you."

"Hold the sugar and cream. He was there for me when it all went down that's it."

"So if he was in the area five years ago, it would have been on account of you."

"He the one they dragged up?"

"Bones don't lie." Booth held back any thoughts of irony.

As Booth tried to regain his focus, Evans tried to recall something. "When did he die?"

"Five years ago."

"But when?"

"Lab guys guess around late fall when it was too cold for rain."

Sweets looked at Evans with interest. "You couldn't tell us when the last time you saw him was, but the time of year he died has significance."

Booth went for the direct approach, "What happened that fall?"

Evans shook his head as if dispelling the memories he'd just worked so hard to find. "Craig fought my sentence for months, but couldn't find grounds for appeal. He kept telling me not to give up - that somehow he was going to get me out of here, he just didn't know how yet. Guess he figured something out, huh?"

"That doesn't answer the question. Why did he choose then to go for a walk in the sewers?"

Evans looked back at them with tired eyes. "What does it matter? If Craig got stuck trying to break me out means he wasn't murdered."

"Humor me."

He sighed. "My pal Craig was a fool who couldn't even survive a stroll in sludge; that's all."

Booth looked ready to leave, but Sweets couldn't contain his curiosity. "If you two didn't have a falling out, what did you think when he stopped visiting?"

"When I didn't see him again, I assumed he ran out of ideas and was getting on with his life. I don't blame him. I kinda liked thinking Craig was livin' good somewhere. Better than the alternative."

Booth pushed out from the table. "Thank you for your time."

"This doesn't change a thing, does it?"

Sweets remained seated. "He came back for you."

Kyle looked out the window with a glimmer of awe. "He died for me. I guess he really was my friend."

Booth pulled out Sweets chair. "And you're still in here, so no, it doesn't change much."

"No matter how long it took, he was going to keep coming back for me."

"Good Day Mr. Evans."

Sweets took Booth's less than subtle hint and followed him to the door.


	8. Chapter 8: Guileless

**The scene below with Angela is in response to some your comments about her reaction. After reading your reviews, I became inspired to add it.**

**The only reason I'm mentioning this is to let you know that reviews do have an effect - more than just earlier updates. I read every comment you post and when any of them get me thinking, I get to writing.**

**So, without further ado , here be:  
><strong>

Chapter 8: Guileless

Hodgins found Angela morosely fiddling with the Angelator. "Hey Babe." He hugged her from behind. "Apparently, Booth solved the case. I think this is the first time we can tell the family about the death and its cause all in the same conversation."

"Bren would pleased."

He followed her focus to a holographic collage of office photos: halloween parties, birthday celebrations and occasional work-mandated donor function. The common denominator in all of them was Dr. B and the team. "Cam texted her the update."

"She didn't reply?"

He shook his head with a frown. He could tell Angela was looking for something in the pictures, but he couldn't see what.

She zoomed in on one of her and Bren. "Am I a good friend?"

"You're the best friend anyone could ask for."

"Don't just say that because right now I feel as insecure about my social skills -"

"Dr. B?"

She put the remote down and it automatically zoomed back out. "I hate not knowing how to behave around her - like everything I do is just not the right thing."

"I know what you mean. I got used to making allowances for her hermity ways. It wasn't personal it was just Dr. B. And then I saw her completely shellless with him - it's like I never actually knew her. . . Almost a decade and I still don't know my boss."

"I don't know my best friend."

He turned her around so he could see her eyes. "She's not acting this way to make us feel bad. You believe that right?"

"It's weird, but I'd feel less hurt if it was an intentional Brennan plot, but this is just her - the real Bren."

"Maybe or maybe it's just another side of the old one."

"Have you ever seen her smile like that?" She walked towards the Angelator. "I've been looking and I can't find it with us. Not once."

"She's comfortable with him. Ange, remember when we had that case about her family?"

She snorted, "Which one?"

"Where we found her mom and Russ came down." She nodded. "I had never seen her so emotional. She was furious one second, then completely breaking down, and near catatonic the next. I'd only been working here a few years and honestly, it freaked me out."

"Me too."

"She was visibly breakable and we weren't used to that."

She sighed, "What's your point?"

"I think it was after that and then all the stuff with her dad that we really became a family: Booth, Bones and the squints." They looked at the recent picture where it was most visible that they were more than colleagues.

"I guess."

"Well, this guy, Caleb, he was there when all this stuff with her family really went down. He was probably around when Russ bailed and saw her get shuffled from one crappy foster home to the next. He saw her when breakable was kind of all she was." Angela nodded. "If being there for grown up Dr. B made us feel closer, it shouldn't surprise us that the friend who was there from the beginning is closest of all."

She looked back at him with a touch of awe. "You're wiser than you look."

He squeezed her hand softly. "It's gonna be okay. She loves us and we love her. She just has her own way of showing it."

"But Cal-"

"-Either you accept her as she is or you talk to her about it."

She pushed out her lower lip. "I don't like those options."

With a faint smile, he replied, "Friendship isn't easy. Caleb knows that which is probably why she trusts him."

"It's a lot harder for us."

He grinned skeptically. "You really believe that?" She looked sincere so he continued.

"You know how moody and uncooperative she gets when something is bugging her. Imagine a newly abandoned Dr. B and add in the hormone cocktail that is adolescence, and Cal, he stuck by her - through everything. The more I think about, the more I believe he earned his place with her."

"He did, didn't he? Poor Bren."

He smile sympathetically, "Poor Cal."

"It's going to be okay."

She sounded a little doubtful, so he reassured her. "Yeah, it really is."

She turned around and settled into his embrace. Together they pondered the pictures of their past with new eyes.

* * *

><p>Sweets hesitantly knocked on the door. Not hearing a response but seeing the door was open, he stepped inside Booth's office. Instead of a reproachful scowl, Sweets found the agent slumped in his chair looking out the window wearily. On further inspection, the exhausted demeanor was almost purely emotional. "You notified Mr. Grimmet's parents today."<p>

Still spacey, Booth just nodded.

"You okay? You know, I could have gone with you. If I'd known you were going to go so soon, I totally would have."

He scowled faintly. "Delivering bad news is bad enough without a shrink making faces. Thanks though."

Sweets frowned. "Expressing my sympathy is not making a face."

Turning his chair towards the younger man, his regained some of his usual animation. "It is when you're consciously doing it - here's my sympathy face, my understanding face, my omniscient professional face." He spat, "It's distracting and bordering disrespectful."

"I doubt the families see it in those terms."

"Disrespectful to your partner Sweets. Anything that makes a hard task harder is just plain rude."

Sweets expression reflected understanding. . . and shame. "I'm sorry."

Having turned towards the window again, Booth's tone turned suspicious. "You're making a face aren't you?"

"Not on purpose."

"I just need for this day to be over." He dragged a hand across his face wearily. "What did you need? I assume you had a reason for coming here besides making faces at me."

Even though the agent couldn't see it, Sweets nodded enthusiastically. "I know why he chose the fall."

"The squints already ruled out suicide."

"I mean the time of year. I know why he chose to break in during the fall five years ago."

Booth sighed completely uninterested. "Good job."

"Don't you want to know?"

"An accident doesn't require further investigation and my idle curiosity isn't what it used to be." Seeing the psychologist begin the slump, he continued, "but sure go ahead. Why the fall?"

"I checked the prison records. Mr. Evans was admitted to the infirmary in the beginning of October."

"Beaten?"

The young shrink coughed. "Among other things." Trying to suppress his blush, he continued, "Grimmet tried the appeal process again, but even if it had gone somewhere it would have taken a good long while, so he didn't wait long after Evans was attacked to try and get him out."

"And fate stepped in to keep a bad man behind bars."

He tilted his head thoughtfully. "I haven't heard you mention fate or destiny in a while."

"Well, no one is here to tell me it doesn't exist, so I figure, why not take advantage?"

He heard the weariness back in his tone and made an observation. "Something tells me you're finding the loyalty in this case less touching than you would usually."

" Not all loyalty is equal. Grimmet tried to break a convicted criminal out of jail."

"One who was being assaulted and had reason to fear for his life."

Booth raised both his brow and his volume. "You think what he tried to do was right?"

"I think it's understandable."

" Understandable? He died trying to break out a man he hadn't seen in years. I did my homework too. They went to the same school once, and then they moved on and grew up. Loyalty to a friendship that died years ago isn't touching and I sure as hell don't understand it. "

He took a calculated risk. "Maybe that's something you could bring up to Dr. Brennan."

Not even blinking at the subject change, he scoffed, "Because grilling her about her past leads to such great results."

"I didn't say to grill just -"

"You know your advice about me and Bones has been pretty iffy lately. You said to gamble, and I gambled so much, it scared her off. You told us we have this amazing connection and then I see what a real connection with her looks like." Sweets tried not to wince at the verbal lashing. "And you know, I want that with her more than anything, but you can't help me get that can you?" It was both an accusation and a plea, and Sweets responded with a confession-like answer.

"I can't change her."

"I'm not asking you to, but isn't your job to change _us _- to make us the best we can be? Why couldn't we be that?"

"That's something you'll have to work out with her."

"As soon as I stop fearing the result, I might."

" If you can't talk about what's important to you, then you two don't have any connection - romantic or otherwise."

He exited quietly leaving the agent to consider his words as well as the implications.


	9. Chapter 9: Processing

Chapter 9: Processing

"You sure it was cool taking off work early?" Brennan brought out two glasses of ice tea from the fridge.

"My specialty is working with bones; I participate in the actual investigating out of curiosity rather than necessity."

Cal took a glass from her with a smile. "So until more bones come in, you're all mine."

"I still have to go to the office this week, but I can adapt my schedule to catch up on missed socializing opportunities." Exhausted, they both resettled on the couch and enjoyed the stillness.

"I am sorry I didn't visit more."

"You are not solely responsible for our lack of in-person communication. We both could have travelled to each other but refrained due to individual commitments and stressors. "

In between chuckles, he sipped his tea. "You never did take things personally."

"There is no reason to feel personally slighted by an action that has no personal motivation."

"I wish Alice got that."

"Girlfriend?" She asked innocently.

Raising a brow, he replied, "Retriever." His entrenched bachelorism made her smile. "Every time I come back from a trip, she makes with the silent treatment."

"As opposed to her usual gregariousness."

He paid her amusement no heed. " I don't mean to hurt her feelings, but I got a life of my own. I can't spend all my time hanging with her."

She laughed heartily. "So what you're saying is I am more emotionally evolved than your dog."

He looked shocked. "You're lucky she ain't here now - calling my Ally a dog. You know, you only get one first impression."

"My apologies. I've been told I can be quite insensitive."

He nodded in mock-thoughtfulness. "After all these years, I finally see why."

Before she could think up a retort, the apartment door opened with a familiar creaking. "Booth."

He nodded wearily at Bones. "Caleb."

"Hey man."

She followed him into the kitchen. "You're home a little later than usual. Everything okay with the case? Should I have stayed?"

"Yeah. I mean no." He pulled a beer out the fridge and put it to his forehead before opening it. "I mean everything is fine with the case; it was fine to leave early."

"Cal invited us to join him and his friends for dinner. Do you feel up to going?"

Hearing her concerned tone, he softened his gruff demeanor. "Not really no."

"That's alright. We can take a rain check."

He followed her back to the living room. "It's rain check Bones not-"

"That's what I said: rain check."

"Oh."

Feeling the tension in the room, Cal put his glass on the table and stood up. "Well, I'll get out of your hair for now - go bug some of my other buds. It was good seeing you again Booth."

Booth nodded dutifully while she looked regretful. "Okay, well, I'll talk to you tomorrow. I'm sorry we have to decline the dinner invite. Another time?"

"You betcha." Cal gave her a quick reassuring hug. "Thanks for the hang time."

"Back at you."

He pulled back and they smiled their goodbye.

Booth took her place on the couch and waited a moment after the door closed to start the talk. "I don't feel comfortable having him here without me."

She turned from the door looking stunned. "He's my friend Booth. It's unreasonable for you to feel such discomfort around someone who is practically family.

"He has a record for home invasion."

After a flicker of insecurity, her offense quickly trumped all other emotions. "You did a background check on him? You're looking into my friends without even asking me."

He put his beer down gently. "I don't like investigating the mother of my kid, but I have to when you don't tell me things."

"It wasn't relevant."

"When the criminal is walking around with you in my town - in my apartment! - it is."

"My past is none of your business."

He looked bewildered and frustrated all at once. "We're trying to make a life together."

"Now. We're trying to make a life now. Our pasts don't have anything to do with it. If I had known he was going to visit, I would have told you about him."

"And what if he didn't - would you have visited him, would you even tell me if you did?" At her silence he prodded, "Well, would you?"

She blurted, "I don't know!"

Neither of them had a quick response to that, so they remained silent . . . just processing.

Finally, she explained, "You and I, we don't really talk about our pasts unless something brings it up. But nothing has. This is the first I've seen or heard from him in over two years."

He had a hard time believing this. "How is that possible? Weren't you worried?"

"Our lives are spent tracking down murderers and avoiding ending up like their victims. Whenever I thought about my peaceable musician friend, I tended to think he was just fine."

At her reasoning, his frustration melted into hurt.

"That doesn't explain why never told me about him, especially, since he is the biggest part of you."

She frowned, genuinely confused. "What are you talking about? He's just an old friend Booth."

This was what made the situation so hard: the fact, she really didn't understand and yet, the problem still existed. If they were going to resolve it, he knew the burden lay on him to explain. Praying for the right words, he began, "He's the person you open up around."

She didn't speak when he paused; instead, sensing his struggle, she patiently waited for him to collect his thoughts.

"Seeing you with him makes me realize how much I still don't get about you. You can be normal, Bones, just not around me."

She replied hesitantly, "I don't know what that means."

He hit the table knocking causing his beer to topple over. "Stop it." She seemed braced for his outburst as if she'd expected it. "Stop acting like you don't understand how real people think! You understand Caleb. You know what he means. You_ always_ know what he mean!"

She sat down across from him and rested her head in her hands. It was his turn to wait as she collected her thoughts.

"My family left . . . . friends, boyfriends, pupils, and you-you fake your death or go off to war or distance yourself because I can't give enough. I love you but, Caleb is my constant; he has always been my constant."

Sincerely curious, he asked, "And what am I?"

She looked up slowly. "My partner - in and out of the office."

Each of them waited for the other to say something more, but neither of them did. For now, there was nothing left to say.

Outside the door, Cal looked at his phone which had 9-1-1 already entered. It needed only a 'send' to start the call, but to his relief, the situation didn't require it. He closed his phone and pressed the elevator button wearily. Resting his head against the wall, he breathed deeply. _"__She's okay. Tempe's fine. He didn't hit her. She's okay."_ He repeated the mantra over and over again in his head. Even so, he knew it would take some time for his adrenaline levels and heart rate to return back to normal.

Thanks to Tempe, he knew a lot of things. The things she intentionally taught him - well, they were always welcome. The things she had no control over - they were the hardest lessons he ever learned - like just because a person looks nice and normal don't mean he won't make with the violence when he it suits him. From experience, he knew those types felt safe behind closed doors.

But they weren't. No one is.

Maintaining the room's silence, Bones gazed at the closed door and wondered if Cal had heard any of that. Maybe enough time had passed that he didn't feel the need to linger in case of trouble. If violence ever entered her life, she took care of it herself. She could do that now.

The sound of the elevator served as her answer. Booth was still brooding about their conversation, but Bren's mind had already traveled far from this night - to nights much darker than this. As her pain-in-the-butt friend, Cal never abandoned her. Even if she didn't need him, he was always there just in case. . . she supposed, as long as he was able, he always would be.

When her gaze returned to Booth, she realized he was staring at her. His eyes looked as confused as they did angry. Her thoughts right now probably wouldn't help matters. She genuinely wanted him to understand, but she wasn't sure how to help. What did he need to know that he hadn't heard already? Or did he just need time to process?

Both partners tried to read each other, but this time, neither could discern a thing. Their own thoughts and emotions would have to settle before they could see the other's clearly.


	10. Chapter 10: Transitive Property

**I had to go to a talk a while ago on the cardinal virtue of temperance.  
>I feared my boredom would keep me from staying awake for the whole thing so I started imagining that whenever the speaker talked about temperance he was talking about Temperance Brennan making Bones into a kind of allegory.<strong>

**Here is a quotation from the talk's main source, Josef Pieper. "Not only is temperance beautiful in itself, it also renders men beautiful. Beauty, however, must here be understood in its original meaning: as the glow of the true and the good irradiating from every ordered state of being, and not in the patent significance of immediate sensual appeal. . . intemperance more than any other thing renders man unable and unwilling to 'take heart' against the wounding power of evil in the world"**

**My little switch worked. By the end of the two hour talk I was the only one fully alert, entertained, and able to remember what he said the next day. Thus, I found that the imagination has many uses.**

**Have a wonderful Easter!**

**P.S. For the mathematically minded of you:  
><strong>

Chapter 10: Transitive Property

The next morning Brennan took her own car to work. She knew she could call Cam and take some more vacation time, but she had things to think about and she always did her best thinking over bones.

Given their conversation the night before as well as the fact she had left particularly early, she pulled out her phone on the way to her office texting Booth: _Went to office early_. She paused before pressing send. _Cam can confirm._

She agreed it wasn't the most mature addition, but if he wanted to play detective on her life, she'd cooperate; however, the fact she had nothing to hide didn't prevent her from resenting his intrusion. If he was concerned about Cal's past, he should have talked to her. If he'd told her beforehand that he wanted to look into it himself, she would have understood.

One thing they had in common was the fact neither of them trusted easily. Knowing that, she didn't expect him to trust Cal so soon, but after all these years, she thought he trusted her. She couldn't help wondering that if he didn't by now, would Booth ever trust her?

Passing Angela's office, she heard her call. "Brennan?"

She halted. "Hi Angela."

" I didn't expect you in today. I thought you'd be with Cal."

"I plan to meet with him later. I wanted to come in early and finish up the work I left yesterday. In spite of my recent absence, I assure you, I'm still committed to our work."

"I know that Sweetie. No one grudges you spending time with your friend."

After a moment's hesitation she entered the office fully. "Booth does. . . . You did."

Unable to disagree, she slumped against her desk. "That was my problem not yours okay? Even the most fab of us have our insecure moments."

Bones took a step towards her. "I don't understand."

"I'm your best friend right?"

"Right?" She took another step

" You tell me everything?"

" All socially significant moments" Having reached her side, Bren leaned against the same desk. "I don't tell you about all aspects of my job as I accept that is not of interest to you."

"Good call, but there's still stuff you left out. The emotionally significant moments you tell Booth. You have for years and I accepted it." She turned to face her. "I am your best friend for the girl talk stuff and Booth is your best buddy for the family stuff."

"I suppose."

She chucked self-consciously. "It's good I was an only sibling because I am not good at sharing, but I learned to share the my bestest friend with someone else. I did it before and I will do it again."

" You're referring to Caleb."

"He's your other best friend - not the who gives you advice on the daily issues of clothes, love, or work, but the one who reminds you of who were before and maybe even outside of your life here, that's why he's so valuable to you."

Brennan looked a bit shocked. "He is, valuable I mean."

"I'm sorry I didn't get that before."

"But you're valuable to me too."

Hearing her desperate tone, Angel reassured, "I know. I guess I just let my emotions overrule my brain."

"And I do the opposite which is why we complement each other. "

Angela shared her smile. "We balance each other out."

Her tone turned serious. "I love you Ange."

"I love you too, and I would love to get to know your friend better. How about tonight we all meet up at the Founding Fathers?"

"We all meaning . . . ."

"Me, you, Hodgins, Cal, and Booth. We can even invite Cam and Sweets if you want."

"I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable." Bones shifted against the desk. "Apparently, I've been doing a lot of that lately."

Ange moved in front of her touching her arm. "And I don't want you thinking you have to hide a part of yourself because your friends won't accept it."

Sad blue eyes met hers. "They don't."

"They will," she replied fiercely. "We all just need some more opportunities to get used to it. You're a part of us, and Cal is a part of you, so he's a part of us to."

"If A is equal to B and B is equal to C then A is equal to C."

"Is that a yes?"

"I'll have to talk to Booth before I answer."

Angela saw the worry in her eyes and brushed her arm for comfort. "I'm sure if you explain what Cal means to you, he'll understand."

A couple days ago she would have believed her. She smiled for Angela's sake, but inside she still felt anxious. She used to have confidence in her partner and hers ability to communicate effectively, but last night every time she spoke, she made the situation worse. The fact was, he didn't want to listen and she didn't want to talk.

As she did whenever a situation threatened to overwhelm her, she sought refuge in her work. With a parting smile, she left Angela's office for bone storage. Searching for a project to keep her occupied, Brennan hoped that the distraction would give her mind a chance to work out a solution . . . as Booth once put it: _you can't rush matters of the heart._

* * *

><p>Outside the Jeffersonian, Booth stood against the building sipping his coffee. When he woke up in an empty bed in an empty apartment, his thoughts were pretty bleak. He figured she'd left early to spend more time with Cal or maybe just to get away from him. As he sluggishly got ready for work, his phone buzzed showing one new text. He flipped it open and read her message, <em>Went to work early. Cam can confirm.<em>

Immediately, he felt ashamed.

Bones didn't deserve his suspicions, but she wasn't ignorant of them either. Some boyfriend he was turning out to be.

After getting ready for work, he found himself driving to the Jeffersonian instead of the office. Technically all he had today was the final paperwork on their last case. He thought about meeting Bones and going over it together. Since she was gone yesterday she'd probably appreciate the chance to get caught up on the case. What kept him from actually going in was the thought that she'd probably appreciate a little break from him.

Seeing him would remind her of their last conversation, and she wouldn't be ready to deal with that yet . . . he doubted he'd be either.

So, instead of going up or going away, he just stood outside, sipping his coffee, and wondering how things got so messed up so quickly.

"You strategizing a way in or just contemplating the architecture?"

Looking up, he found the last person he wanted to see.

"Both. Neither."

"Well the lab is not going anywhere." Cal looked down the street. "So why don't you and I move this down to the coffee cart."

Shaking his now empty cup, Booth tossed in a nearby can and shrugged agreement.

They walked in silence. It wasn't till Booth had his second cup that morning that he made a comment.

"What Bones calls sympathetic mood swings, I call being just plain tired." He took a long gulp of the steaming liquid. "Fatherhood was easier when I could focus on one thing at a time: fight a war, deal with family - never in the same day."

Charles took the top off his coffee and took a sip. "Sorry to be adding to family plate around now. This visit came as much a surprise to me as it did to her."

He wanted to blame Caleb for his current problems, but nothing is ever that simple. He gave a sigh of resignation. "There would never be a good time to add to the plate. This time is as bad as any."

They sipped their coffee in silence for a few minutes. This time, Cal was the one to break it.

"I've heard it before you know." He started strolling back to the Jeffersonian. "On her way to digs she'd book layovers in Chicago. I'd take her to drinks with my friends and they all said the same: I was a different person with her - smarter, politer. It's a load of crap though."

He stated blandly. "You're not different with her."

"Nothing mysterious in how we act." He shrugged. "She knows the movies and music we watched together. Just like I know books and theories she talked about. It's friendship plain and simple."

Booth tossed his now empty cup. "I've seen her with friends. She doesn't change like that for them."

Cal scoffed, "She doesn't for me either. Girl is as reason driven and pigheaded as she is with anyone else."

"So her ability to joke and back off work is the result of the human switch in her head miraculously getting switched."

Cal stopped walking. He looked incredulous as if he didn't think he'd heard correctly. Seeing Booth's look of irritation helped him believe he had. "Mr., you're on shaky ground. You think the girl you want only comes out around me, but the girl you want isn't in her." He spoke earnestly, "There's no one different deep down.

Booth openly glared. "With the rest of us she won't even try looking."

"Temperance knows I don't want to change her." He shook his head sadly. "Maybe that's the difference between me and the rest. She tries things with me knowing she'll still be her when it's over and I'm wasn't hoping for different.

"I'm not trying to change her-"

"Nah, you've been thinkin you don't have to. You're just bringing the true 'Bones' out, right? The one who aside from baby blues don't resemble Temperance in the least."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Unlike her, I don't know a lot of things." His tone didn't sound defensive - just factual. "but I don't have to to see you're living a lie - trying to make her live it too. Can't say I wish you luck, but you do have my sympathies."

"You can save them."

He smiled pityingly, "And you can save the worry." Holding up his hands in a gesture of harmlessness, he explained, "I aint' brother nor lover, competition nor obligation, but we're always going to be friends." He tossed his free hand back in his pocket. "Nothing can change us because nothing can change her. If you really love her, you'll stop trying."

Booth watched as he walked towards the Jeffersonian, tossed his coffee, and went inside. Like before, he found he couldn't go through those doors, but he couldn't walk away either. . . not yet, so he just stood outside watching the building which contained the object of his many thoughts.

Running a hand through his hair, he decided he needed a good long walk. He had a lot to think about and didn't know how long he would have to do the thinking. Things couldn't stay the way they were forever. As Bones liked to say: _change is the natural order of things._


	11. Chapter 11: Meaning Something

**I am going on a road trip this week and don't expect to have internet access, so my next post will be two weeks from today. I made this chapter a little longer, though, to make up for the break in routine.**

Chapter 11: Meaning Something

Bones returned to the apartment that night. What surprised Booth was the fact she returned alone, but after her morning text, he felt loath to ask her about it.

He kept reminding himself that they needed to talk. Wherever the music man was at the moment didn't matter. The important thing was that he and Bones were in the same room, alone, and hopefully with calmer emotions.

She dropped her keys in the bowl by the door and perched herself on a sofa arm. "Clark didn't approach me today with any questions about the latest remains. Does that mean you solved the case?"

He took the neutral comment as a good sign. "Yeah. It was an easy one - no murderer, just an accident."

Bones furrowed her brow in the way that told Booth she was trying to recall something. "Was it a Shawnee?"

"Huh?" It only took him a moment to get it. "Ah, no, it wasn't a Shawshank. Vic wasn't even a prisoner. A few parking tickets was the extent of his criminal experience, but he had a friend in the system and did whatever he could to get him out."

She shook her head. "He should have used the legal system."

"He tried. The problem is his friend was obviously guilty." He looked to the floor. "Guess friendship makes people do some crazy things."

She tilted her head considering him. "Similar to family or romantic love."

He let out a big breath. "Yeah."

" . . . Crazy things like looking into someone's private past."

"Exactly like that."

"About the home invasion charge -."

He looked up, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"Yes I do." She began rubbing her stomach absently as she was wont to do in times of stress. "When everything was so heavy - I found relief in academics, and Caleb, he found it in stunts - greater risks, more adrenaline . . . more reason to forget reality."

Booth could relate to that. Wasn't that why he enlisted the first time? . . . and the second.

She hastily continued, "But, Booth, he never hurt anyone or spent time in prison. He paid the fine and realized how foolish his actions were. He asked me to forget it and I have . . . or _had_ until you dug it up again."

Her tone wasn't accusatory but her words were accusation enough."I never intended to break your trust."

She nodded her acceptance. "He has a record, and I have a doctorate, but we're not so different. We both spent most our lives trying to cope and forgetting to live."

"I didn't have a friend like that until the military."

She came to sit next to him. "Angela said I need to tell you what he means to me. I thought I had."

"You said he's a friend - practically family."

"I love Russ. He could be a really good big brother when he wanted to be, but after Russ left, Cal kinda became my younger one. He played pranks, fought with me over the most trivial things, and even though he knew I just wanted what was best for him, he refused to listen me."

"Sounds like Jared."

Now, this was the hard part. She pursed her lips. "I've gleaned that when things were volatile with your family, you tried to shield your brother from as much as you could." He barely nodded." In a less heroic way, I tried to do that."

"Cal had an abusive pare-"

She rushed to clarify, "-No, no. I did . . . more than one. Cal knew I wasn't happy with my foster families, but I never told him why." She answered his unspoken question. "If he knew, he'd feel hurt and angry and helpless."

"which is what you felt." It made a lot of sense - in a heart hurting kind of way.

"I never wanted him to know how close it all was - the violence and pain and the darkness creeps in and hollows you out."

"He still doesn't know?" He didn't understand how they could be so close if he didn't.

"Cal was so stubborn. He wanted me to see some concert with him. Well, actually he needed me to drive him there, but the family I was staying with didn't allow me places after dark. We argued about just sneaking out, but eventually, I thought he accepted that it wasn't an option."

"But he didn't." This was one of those stories that you knew just couldn't end well.

"The night of concert he came to my house and snuck in my window. By that time, I'd washed off my makeup and changed into my PJs which I think were just shorts and a t-shirt . . . he had never seen me hurt before."

Booth knew the kind of injuries the boy would have seen - the same ones he spent his own teen years trying to hide: bruised arms, scraped knees, split lip . . .

"I tried to get him to leave, but he wouldn't stop asking questions. We must have raised our voices because Mr. Hutch started yelling about this being the reason he didn't allow visitors."

Booth mentally scoffed at her phrasing. Knowing his old man, she must have edited her pop's phrasing quite a bit. He wondered what else she was holding back on. "Did he . . . hurt him?"

"If had just listened to me and left quick and quiet, but not Caleb; no, he couldn't keep his smart mouth shut." Bones no longer seemed to be talking to him as much as to herself - reliving that night. "And the angrier Mr. Hutch got, the more Cal talked - the more he insulted him for being coward enough to abuse a girl, someone so much weaker than him." Her gaze flickered past him. "Nothing Mr. Hutch did slowed him down. It was finally me who got Cal to leave."

She'd stopped talking. Booth wanted to help her regain her thoughts. He murmured," So he finally listened to you."

Shaking her head, she finally met his eyes, "Not to the words - it was how I said them. It scared him. I was so worried about him being there, I became furious. I've never yelled at anyone the way I did Cal that night."

In spite of all Booth's experience, he actually couldn't imagine that moment. He'd seen Bones scared but he'd never seen her convert that fear into anger. But hearing her obvious guilt at her reaction, he tried to sooth it, "But you guys obviously remained friends."

She seemed to relax a little. "Afterwards, he became an even bigger nuisance - pestering me to hang out all the time. I think he figured the less time I spent at home, the less hurt I'd get." She looked at her hands. "We never talked about my situation but . . ."

After a moment of silence, he prodded, "What?"

"I don't know if this is too much information."

"If you want to stop, I'll understand. This is already more than I've heard you say about your younger years."

She looked at him with concern. "Are you okay hearing this?"

Taking her hand, he smiled softly, "I should be the worried one here."

"Will it make you feel better if you tell me something that makes you uncomfortable?"

He immediately became wary. "Like what?"

"I want to ask you a question . . . but I'm not sure you'll want to answer."

He smirked, "Knowing your questions, probably not, but I'll do my best."

Looking down, she began fiddling with the hand in hers. "Did you ever just know? Hours in advance, did you ever have a feeling something would happen?"

His brows raised. "You're talking about gut stuff."

"When I broke a plate, or came home late, I obviously knew something would happen." He hated that they had this in common. She continued, "But more and more often the cops would show up. When I confronted Cal, he admitted to lurking around my house. It wasn't every night, but some nights, he said he just knew."

If she hadn't been pregnant, her emotions probably would have remained beneath the surface in typical Brennan fashion, but the hormones combined with the topic brought out the tears. "To this day I wish he didn't; I wish he never felt the need to pay attention like that. "

"He cared about you."

"He was just a kid."

"So were you."

She shook her head fiercely, "I could handle- I was handling it. I learned quick what actions acted as catalysts."

"And that makes it right?" Disbelief colored his tone.

"It makes it tolerable."

"No one should tolerate violence." He linked they fingers together and squeezed.

"Now you sound like him."

"You asked me if I ever just knew." That brought her eyes back to him "Yeah, I did. I'd be sitting in class and sometimes I'd just get this feeling that something was going to happen later. I wasn't wrong, but Jare and I never bonded over it. If anything it kept us from being close because he was always my responsibility - this person I had to protect."

"Cal never saw me as a duty just as I never considered him one."

"That's obvious."

His snort reminded her why they were having this conversation: for him to understand what Cal means to her. She held his hand with both of hers. "I likened him to a younger sibling, but the truth is, we're nothing to each other."

"I guess it's my turn to ask what you mean."

"Back then, I wasn't his family or responsibility - he never saw me as anything. To this day, he doesn't see me as a forensic anthropologist or author. He doesn't even see me as a responsible adult. We've always been just us: Cal and Tempe - nothing else."

He liked that she didn't break contact. With his hand in hers', he felt secure asking, "And us?"

"We've worked together for a long time, but there's a lot of me you don't know. Just like there is a lot inside you, that I will never be privy to. You know me now, and I know you. "

He squeezed her hand signaling his understanding. "But we'll always be something to each other."

"When I look at you I see my partner, the father of my child."

He concluded, "Not just Booth."

She smiled softly, "Not just Bones."

The partners sat side by side looking at each other with new eyes. She had given him the answers he needed just as he gave her the understanding she craved.

After this week, they'd learned a little more about the other - put a few more puzzle pieces in place. It would take a lifetime to gather them all - maybe two, but sitting on the couch with hands intertwined, they felt their connection blazing brighter than ever (figuratively speaking, of course, since emotional bonds don't actually look like anything and thus cannot "blaze;" some would point out, however, that they were the picture of an emotional bond and so obviously they look like something, but both parties would agree that radiance is in the eyes of the beholder . . . or the mathematician using _L _= delta P / delta A cos delta W . . . . maybe agreement is overrated).


	12. Chapter 12: Somebody Loved

**Early on, I received a message from a reader who wondered what this story was about. For the rest of the readers, here was my answer:**

**"This story is coming from my wish to see Booth and Brennan have a deeper connection. Right now, certain episodes of the series end with the message that Brennan needs to change in order for their relationship to progress. I'm offering the possibility that maybe it's not her who has to change but how others perceive her. **_**This story ultimately is about perception and how a simple change in perspective can make us love someone more**_**."**

**Thank you for all your support and feedback, and I hope you enjoy the last chapter of **_**The Change in the Heart**_**. **

**Chapter 12: Somebody Loved**

Side by side, Booth and Bones entered the Founding Fathers. With his hand on the small of her back, Booth felt things returning to normal. It had been a crazy week, but in the proceeding calm, their rhythm was back and maybe even strong than before.

Spotting their friends, the couple made their way to a large booth. Cal scooted over to make room. "You been leaving me alone with these fools too longs."

Bones looked around the table in shock. "And there are a lot of them."

Playing off their presence as completely natural, Angela smiled, "We got to squeeze in as much hang time as we can cause once we're both on the mamma track, the bar scene is going to be pretty off limits."

Booth gave the table a subdued smile. "Good to see you Caleb."

"Good to see you too man."

Cam pointed to the now empty booth seats. "Sit down why don't you. We have absolutely no room but plenty of food."

"How's the house hunting going?" Hodgins returned to the table with everyone's drinks.

The couple replied, "It's not."

"We're still looking. Nothing we've seen has been right for us."

Wiping the water off the side of his beer, Cal flicked the drops on Bones. "Given up on the you-made dream?"

She mock scowled at his antics. "It's not a viable option anymore."

Booth took her hand in his. "You know where you want to live?"

"Not exactly."

Cal grinned. "Miss modern woman here said if she were ever to choose a permanent residence, she'd build it herself."

Her partner scoffed. "You build something?"

Before she could deny such ponderings, Cal looked her in eye and recalled, "You wanted to understand the structure of a home like you understood the structure of everyone else."

She began fiddling with her napkin self-consciously. "I wanted to know the place that sheltered me."

Booth quickly picked up on her sincerity and adjusted his tone for compassion. "You can't really learn about that stuff on the job. Contractors and workers spend years studying how to build safely."

"Which is why she went to school in Chicago."

To Booth's raised brow, Sweets supplied, "Frank Lloyd Wright."

Hodgins added, "Rem Koolhas."

Bones murmured, "George Maher."

Angel tone flickered with awe. "You were interested in Architecture."

"She spent years reading up on it and volunteering with habitat for humanity to gain experience. That was actually how she kept getting scholarships and such."

She admitted, "The activity was both informative and practical."

Clark nodded. "It's true intelligence is no longer enough to earn on admission to top schools. One must have a resume of activities and volunteer participation to demonstrate how 'well-rounded' one is."

Booth frowned, "Yet you still can't fix a sink."

"Electricity, plumbing, interior decor - they are superficial matter which are of no interest to me, not like structure."

"Structure as in?"

"Walls, roofs, Gales, foundations, quoins."

Cam smiled, "The difference between tissue and bones."

While the rest of the table carried on in conversation, Booth mulled over the revelation. After a few moments, he murmured to Bones, "We don't really have the time to build something from scratch, but we can always tear apart whatever we end up with. Make it our own."

She looked over with surprise, "I still don't know anything about wires and pipes."

"I know enough to keep you from burning the place down or flooding it, and the rest ,we'll find someone to help us with."

"We still have to choose a place." Her eyes sparkled with interest but were laced with reluctance.

"Sure, but this makes it easier." He smiled at her confused expression. "As long as we can agree on the area the actual house doesn't have to be a perfect fit. In fact the more stuff we don't like about it the more chances we to work and change it."

By now the rest of the table was tuned into their discussion.

Cal nudged her. "The more you hate the more you fix."

Appreciating the backup - no matter the source, Booth grinned. "Exactly."

Never one to forget practicalities, Cam chirped, "You two remember you have jobs right? Important ones."

Bones nodded. "Cam's right, what you're suggesting would require a great deal of time and energy."

Angela reluctantly added a nod. "Which new parents don't really have a lot of."

Cal just rolled his eyes. "No one says you have to do it all at once."

Not liking the audience, Booth batted their attention away. Once it looked like they were focusing on their menus, he suggested, "Let's look at the no pile again and figure what's doable and what's not, but I gotta say, I like the idea of incorporating a little home improvement into our lives."

Sweet peaked over his menu. "I've been saying for years that you two need hobbies." He lifted it up just in time to protect himself from the nuts Booth launched at his head.

Her face remained reserved, but Bones' eyes were smiling. "You're serious."

"What do you say Bones?" Brushing a strand of hair from her forehead, Booth tapped it gently, "You still harboring architect fantasies in there?"

She squeezed the hand holding hers. "Let's take another look at the no pile."

Seeing the pair in the midst of a sentimental, "couple" moment, the rest of the table resumed conversation and gave them a bit of privacy.

Not wishing to exclude Cal from the friendly banter - after all, he was kind of the reason for the current get together , Hodgins turned to him, "So Cal what weird hobbies you got going?

"Music is my thing and there's no secret in that. I don't hide stuff like Temper here."

Having reached her canoodling-in-public tolerance level, Bones turned with a smirk. "I remember the days when you wanted to be a dog whisperer."

Sweets popped back into their conversation, "You have the gift?"

"I have appreciation for the gift."

His mild embarrassment amused her. "And a high tolerance for dog chatter."

"They ain't makin noise for no reason. They're trying to communicate."

Angela cooed, "I want to talk with a puppy."

When he saw her turning towards him, Hodgins scowled. "No. No. We are not getting a dog so you can try and girl talk with it."

The conversation continued with laughter, food, and friendly vibes all around.

Mid-meal, Bones looked around the table and saw that amidst old friends and new ones there was a perfect Brennan sized spot. Her particular set of skills, her humor, the things she brought to the situation which were all her own - they fit here; she fit here.

Cal was the first friend to make her feel like she belonged, but he wasn't the last. The table was full of people she loved who loved her back just as dearly.

Years ago, he'd told her this would happen. Caleb told her everything was going to turn out alright. She nodded for his sake, but now, she believed it. She finally believed their lives were turning out alright . . . better even.

Booth would call it faith, but she'd say it was experience. Enough years had passed with people staying in her life for her to believe they always would. The people she loved: Booth, Angela, Cal, they would never abandon her. The trust their love couldn't earn, their actions had. Time proved them loyal and permanent, and she now believed them to be constant.

* * *

><p>The week of change finally passed and so did the weekend. All too soon, Monday appeared, and Cal was on his way again.<p>

He'd come by her office to say goodbye. Of course, he couldn't leave without having one last meal with his ole' Temper, so Booth, Bones, and Cal shared a friendly lunch at a nearby deli. Booth made an effort to get to know his partner's pal, and Cal effortlessly made fun of everyone and everything.

Following the amiable lunch break, they in the parking lot just outside Booth's car. Bones looked down a ways to see Cal's car all packed and ready to go.

Giving them privacy for a goodbye, Booth told them to go on ahead while he checked in with work.

The pair prolonged the short walk with slow steps. Bones breached the silence first. "We should make a plan now when we'll see each other next . . . . but we won't will we?"

"That's not us. The world can makes its plans. We'll do what we want when we want."

"So if I decide I want to see you every month forever, you're fine with it?"

Laughing, he swung is arm across her shoulders. "If tomorrow you decide you want to live in my apartment indefinitely, I'm cool with it. I'd probably rearrange your CDs and trash your girly products when you weren't lookin but . . ."

She smiled but her tone turned serious again. "Do you really think I can be a mom?"

"You were meant for a family. Now, you're finally getting one. I can't think of anyone who could be a mom more."

She shook her head good naturedly, "That sentence doesn't make sense."

"You know what I mean."

" Yeah, I do. Thanks."

"If I ever think of settling down, I expect the same kind of no-mocking generosity."

"Of course."

"Temper," he warned.

She brought her hand up to her shoulder to cover his. "I'll be so sincere you won't know what to do with me."

"No one ever does."

Their smiles started off bright, but then steadily dimmed.

Their walk had to end eventually. They knew it when they started, but the reality of parting still left them a bit stunned.

They both grew quiet as they stopped in front of his car. They started to pull a part but at the last moment, Bones turned to take him into a full hug.

"The longer we go without seeing each other the easier it is not to. Thanks for not doing the easy thing."

He hugged her back as reassurance that when it came to them, obstacles just didn't matter. Neither time nor distance could break what they got.

Then, before all his manliness could be impeached, he stepped back and held out his fist. "Squirt it."

She raised hers to his and they splayed their hands upon parting.

With intuitive timing, Booth appeared at her side. "Bye Cal. Drive safe."

"Take care man." Cal entered the driver side and spoke through the open window. "When baby B gets to be playing age, you call me alright? I'll come with trumpets a bursting."

He smirked. "Sorry, our kid is going the jock route. Can't fight destiny."

Bones turned in confusion. "I don't remember agreeing to that."

"You're carrying part of me in there. It was implied."

"FBI guy has got a point."

"Off with you" She waved her hand in a flutter adding under breath, "troublemaker."

And off he went - out of the garage and out of their lives, at least for the time being.

She watched the car until it turned out of sight at which point Booth thought it time to share his update. "We got a case. You think you're ready?"

She looked at the empty space before them and gave a watery smile. "Yeah, I think I am."

He knew the tears were part sadness and part hormones, so he didn't comment. He just placed his hand on the small of her back and lead her back to their world: the one full of stress and murderers, family and friends, and the one overflowing with love.

"So what was that thing you guys did - squish it?"

She laughed through the tears and held up her fist. "Squirt it."

Their world wasn't perfect, but it was undeniably theirs, and for the first time, he realized he wouldn't change a thing - not about him or her or them. He loved their lives just the way they were.

Lifting his fist, he met his with hers in the air between them and smiled at the rightness of it. Trust, compromise, and a little bit of silliness were at the heart of their partnership. It was that combination which made two imperfect people into the perfect team. As long as they remembered that, they'd be just fine. She had confidence based on experience that was the case, and he had faith, but if one of them forgot, they each had the other to remind them, love them, and assure them that everything was going to be alright.

Neither partner ever hoped of more.

**The End**

**As is my way, I hereby end this fic with a song, and for those of you who still can't help but suspect a romantic element in the Cal Bones dynamic (they really were just friends), I'm saying right now when I included this song, I was thinking only of Bones and Booth. **

**So long loyal readers and take care!**

_**Somebody Loved**_

**Weepies**

_Rain turns the sand into mud  
>Wind turns the trees into bone<br>Stars turning high up above  
>You turn me into somebody loved<br>_

_Nights when the heat had gone out  
>We danced together alone<br>Cold turned our breath into clouds  
>We never said what we were dreaming of<br>But you turned me into somebody loved  
><em>

_Someday when we're old and worn  
>Like two softened shoes<br>I will wonder on how I was born  
>The night I first ran away from you<br>_

_Now my feet turn the corner back home  
>Sun turns the evening to rose<br>Stars turning high up above  
>You turn me into somebody loved<br>_


End file.
